BC Wood’s 22nd Annual Global Buyers Mission (GBM) opened in Whistler, BC on Friday morning, with Premier David Eby declaring the tradeshow floor open and underscoring the value-added sector’s critical role in British Columbia’s economy and its importance to international markets. …Nearly 600 participants attended this year’s gathering, including specifiers, government representatives, and international buyers from across Asia and beyond. BC Wood CEO Brian Hawrysh welcomed the attendees… and Board chairperson Kelly Marciniw of Zirnhelt Timber Frames, introduced the Honourable Premier of British Columbia, David Eby. …Eby emphasizing the importance of BC’s international buyers, pointing to his recent experience at Expo 2025 Osaka. …At the same time, he acknowledged the dual challenges of natural and man-made disruptions, from wildfires and the mountain pine beetle to softwood lumber duties.
“Our friends and allies in the United States, who remain friends and allies, but are under the leadership of an individual who somehow sees affordable BC timber products as a threat to the United States, at a time when the government is simultaneously recognizing a housing crisis in the United States and a need to improve affordability for people,” he said. He argued that Canada and the US have an opportunity to reset their relationship, suggesting that the $8 billion currently held in a tariff account could be used “to promote wood products across North America for a net win for everybody.”…Eby also outlined steps the provincial government is taking to support the industry, including a pause on stumpage payments. …”There are so many opportunities for us right now, and they are matched, unfortunately, by threats. But we will be successful as a group if we push together in ensuring we’re expanding those markets.”
Western is proud to launch a refreshed brand that better reflects who we are, where we’re going and what our customers, communities, and partners expect from us. Our refreshed brand is rooted in our belief that wood plays a vital role in building a more sustainable future. Wood has always been part of everyday life – in the homes we live in, the furniture we use and the warmth and comfort we seek in natural materials. At Western, we are proud to carry that legacy forward by helping meet today’s demand for beautiful, low-carbon building materials. This brand refresh is grounded in our long-term strategy and shaped by the people who make Western what it is. It reflects our continued commitment to quality, sustainability and stewardship. Explore the rest of our site to see how our refreshed brand reflects the care we put into everything we do, from forest to finished product.
The monitor overseeing the credit-protection process for San Group, a Langley-based forestry company with debts in excess of $150 million, has applied to the courts for an extension of the process in order to complete the sale of the company’s assets. Deloitte Restructuring has asked the courts to extend the process to Oct. 31. It currently expires Sept. 5. …According to the monitor’s ninth report to the courts, filed this week, the sale of three San Group properties has now closed, and only a Langley farm remains of the major assets. The sale of the Coulson Mill in Port Alberni closed June 20 with proceeds of $12.06 million, the Langley mill site closed July 15, netting $12.37 million, and the Port Alberni value-added facility sale closed July 29, netting $8.25 million. On top of that, Tradewest Asset Solutions has now completed the sale of all of San Group’s remaining inventory, which resulted in $1.178 million being added to the pile.
West Fraser Timber is continuing to succeed in this ever-changing world, despite a lower second quarter. …Sales were up slightly from Q1 — $1.532 billion, compared to $1.459 billion. However, earnings were nearly cut in half — $24 million compared to $42 million in the first quarter. “Demand for many of our building products slowed in the second quarter as spring building activity fell short of our expectations,” said Sean McLaren, West Fraser’s President and CEO. “This was more acute in our North America Engineered Wood Products segment, which experienced further easing of demand as the quarter progressed [with] softer U.S. new home construction.” …West Timber’s director of communications, Joyce Wagenaar, told Black Press Media that this year has been a challenge economically. “2025 has brought a number of changes, most notably sluggish demand for building products in Canada and the U.S. due to challenging economic conditions, leading to a slowdown in new home construction,” said Wagenaar.
Five years after the release of the Old-Growth Strategic Review report, the BC NDP’s momentum towards a “new, holistic approach” to the management of old-growth forests has slowed almost to the point of regression. “Rather than the ‘paradigm shift’ we were promised, we’ve seen Premier Eby’s government doubling down on its prioritization of timber and industry profits over all other values,” said Eddie Petryshen, Wildsight Conservation Specialist. After its public release on September 11, 2020, the BC NDP government promised to enact all 14 recommendations made in the landmark Old-Growth Strategic Review (OGSR). The goal: to shift its focus towards ecosystem health, rather than timber. Since then, temporary logging deferrals have been put in place in high-risk old-growth stands in some parts of the province, and a 2023 Draft Biodiversity and Ecosystem Health Framework was released for public review. 
A BC logger is fighting for the return of a $180,000 deposit he paid to the provincial government to access a timber lot that he did not harvest for lack of demand. In 2023, Bill Bosovich struck a deal with BC Timber Sales to log 116 hectares of forest between Osoyoos and Midway. …Bosovich promised to pay the government at least $1.7 million for the wood he would harvest, and put down a cash deposit of $176,700 to cover any contingencies. However, before any logging had occurred and as wood prices fell, Bosovich learned that the four major log buyers in the area were not interested in his wood. …Bosovich let BC Timber Sales know he could not find buyers and was offered a 12-month extension, but only if he committed to paying a further $83,000 deposit. …Bosovich did not want to extend the licence. …BC Timber Sales’ Allan Powelson responded that the government would be keeping his money.
Local forests like Cai Creek, rich in biodiversity, cultural heritage, and tourism value, are disappearing across the province. …The at-risk cutblock is situated in the Cai Creek drainage area, just east of Crowsnest Highway 3, above Ootischenia.The hike was led by Matt Casselman, a local biologist and founder of the Save Cai Creek campaign. …“Cai Creek is a mostly intact watershed with no resource roads or recent logging, something that is increasingly rare in the West Kootenays. Intact forests should be protected because they offer areas of refuge for wildlife, and are more resilient to climate change,” says Casselman. …“The BCTS logging and road plans for Cai Creek extend across the whole drainage and will irreversibly disrupt the forest and its ecosystems,” says Casselman. …However, Cai Creek is not considered old growth by the Ministry of Forests and has no protections from logging.
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Bikers should take note that end-of-summer logging operations are kicking into gear at Revelstoke’s Mount MacPherson for a month starting next week, but minimally impacting recreational trails, according to a local cycling group. In a Facebook post on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 27, the Revelstoke Cycling Association (RCA) advised that forest harvesting begins at the mountain’s upper trail network on the weekdays following the Labour Day weekend. This comes one week later than previously indicated in RCA’s trail report. Logging will run from 3 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays through most or all of September, with no activity planned for weekends, according to the association.
North Cowichan council has voted to make logging in the municipal forest reserve a strategic priority, despite warnings from some councillors and staff that the move could jeopardize years of work with the Quw’utsun Nation on a forest co-management framework. Timber harvesting in the roughly 5,000-hectare public forest has been on pause since 2019 to allow for public engagement, consultation with local First Nations and advice from experts on how to manage the publicly-owned woodland. Surveys found a majority of residents preferred conservation over harvesting — with 67 per cent of telephone respondents and 76 per cent of online respondents supporting either limiting timber harvesting … or not harvesting timber at all. In 2021, North Cowichan signed a memorandum of understanding with the Quw’utsun Nation… While it could take years before harvesting resumes, some around the council table warned that exploring harvesting options could negatively impact progress made towards a co-management framework with the Quw’utsun Nation.
QUESNEL, BC — The Three Rivers Community Forest (TRCF) is showing how local control can bring fresh ideas to forest management, general manager Nick Pickles told Quesnel council this week. The area-based tenure, signed in October 2024, covers more than 38,000 hectares and is jointly owned by the City of Quesnel and the Esdilagh, Lhtako Dene, and Nazko First Nations. It comes with an allowable annual harvest of about 43,000 cubic-metres of conifer and another 10,500 cubic-metres of deciduous timber, Pickles explained at council’s Aug. 26 meeting. …Pickles said the TRCF mandate is more than just cutting trees. “It’s designed to provide long-term access to forest resources for community benefit. It focuses on local decision-making, stewardship, and sustainable forest use.” Profits are reinvested locally, whether it’s jobs, education, or infrastructure, Pickles added.
A reader wrote The Discourse recently with a question about why the BC Wildfire Service protects privately-owned forest land on Vancouver Island. It was an interesting question, but it hinted at a bigger one: What are forestry companies doing to prevent and mitigate wildfires from happening in the first place? Recent major wildfires on Vancouver Island have been on a mix of Crown land and private land owned by or under license of forestry companies. This includes the fire from early this week on Block 290 near Mount Benson that was recently transferred to Snuneymuxw First Nation. A recent special investigation by the BC Forest Practices Board on 
There are fewer injuries and deaths occurring on B.C. construction sites compared to previous years and decades, although much work remains to ensure worker safety. “Struck by’s,” “falls from” and “trips and slips” are among the most common incidents on job sites, and major events like Kelowna’s deadly crane collapse in 2021 highlight the risks that accompany modern construction. Work-related death claims in the construction sector totalled 31 in 2020, 29 in 2021, 54 in 2022, 39 in 2023 and 25 in 2024, according to data provided by WorkSafeBC. …Dave Baspaly, president of the Council of Construction Associations (COCA), which represents all major construction associations in BC said… the industry’s improved safety record is a result of more training, stricter enforcement of WorkSafeBC rules, and a culture of compliance where non-adherence is not tolerated. He emphasizes that proactive measures, like rigorous inspections and coordinated site management, are making construction sites safer.
There are fresh calls for an alternative route to the west coast of Vancouver Island after it emerged the main route between Port Alberni and Bamfield, B.C., is closed indefinitely. …The only alternative is a logging road detour through Youbou in the Cowichan Valley. …Ditidaht First Nation Chief Councillor Judi Thomas said she hopes the province will go further and redesignate the forest service industrial road as a provincial road and fast-track investment. But the Ministry of Transportation and Transit said, “there is mixed ownership of the road(s) in this area, but all are private industrial roads, and the ministry has no plans to take over the ownership”. …The province says it’s working with Mosaic Forest Management, which is responsible for maintaining 15 kilometres of Bamfield Road, to beef up maintenance on the detour road . …D’Arcy Henderson, Mosaic’s chief operating officer, said it was working with stakeholders on maintaining that detour route.
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It’s been a summer of blue skies for British Columbia’s Lower Mainland, but that’s changed with a wave of wildfire smoke rolling into the region. The Metro Vancouver Regional District has issued an air quality advisory for Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley due to elevated levels of fine particulate matter causing hazy conditions across the region. At a Wednesday briefing, B.C. Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said conditions were expected to worsen, with much of Southern B.C. to be affected in the days to come. “We should expect to see wildfire smoke come south in the days ahead. Weather forecasters are saying that the smoke is going to be a major factor in the next 24 to 72 hours,” Parmar said. “There are already reports of smoke hitting communities. We do expect more smoke to arrive in the central and southern interior tonight or tomorrow, and reach Abbotsford and the coast by Friday.”
The number of active wildfires in British Columbia has leapt by more than a dozen following several days of hot, sunny weather. B.C. Wildfire Service (BCWS) figures Thursday morning show 81 active blazes, up from 68 on Wednesday, with 19 new starts and seven fires declared out over the past 24 hours. There are now 17 fires classified as burning out of control, up from four on Monday, including a cluster of new starts in the northwestern part of the Cariboo region. The wildfire service’s map also shows three new blazes detected Thursday in conservancy areas northwest of Whistler. BCWS says hot, dry conditions have left fuels across much of the province highly susceptible to ignition and spread. …The wildfire service says thunderstorms in the south are bringing a risk of lightning to the Coastal and southern Interior fire centres, and while those storms could help moderate temperatures slightly…
Three new wildfires were confirmed today in the Northeast Region, one is out and two are burning out of control, according to the latest report from Aviation, Forest Fire and Emergency Services. North Bay 14 is on the north side of French River, about 4.5 km south of Sandy Island on Lake Nipissing. This fire is 1.5 hectares and not under control. Haliburton 26 is 0.5 hectares and located on Coo-ee Island on Kahshe Lake. The fire is also not under control. Chapleau 14 was 0.1 hectares and located on the south side of Bunting Lake, approximately 2.6 kilometres west of Perth Lake, and 1.1 kilometres south of Nackawic Lake. It is out. There are six active fires in the Northeast region; one is under control, two are not under control, and three are being observed.